Chapter 954: Killing the Firmament, Proving the Nascent Soul

"Ah!" the Sky Fiend Emperor barely had time to resist the Five Magnetic Mountains. How could he possibly counter the Indestructible Blade? He was struck squarely. Already injured, he was directly hit by the Indestructible Blade, causing his bones to shatter and his body to char, further compounded by the suppression of the Five Magnetic Mountains. Finally overwhelmed, he collapsed to the ground, crushed by the Five Magnetic Mountains.

Jiang Fan withdrew the Five Magnetic Divine Light. He approached, holding his purple sword, and coldly looked down at the struggling Sky Fiend Emperor. "Still trying to cause trouble, even at death's door?" he said.

Without a moment's hesitation, he raised the purple sword, gripping the hilt with both hands. Channeling the power of his Golden Body, he swung the sword fiercely towards the Sky Fiend Emperor's neck. The Sky Fiend Emperor's pupils contracted sharply, and he shrieked, "Stop! I was wrong, Jiang Fan!" He extended both hands, attempting to block the strike, but his arms were mercilessly severed like tofu. The blade continued without the slightest pause, cutting off his head.

With his Nascent Soul physique, wielding the purple sword to slay a Nascent Soul realm cultivator was much easier. A translucent soul emerged from the neck: it was unmistakably the Sky Fiend Emperor. With a face full of venomous hatred, he glared at Jiang Fan and roared, "You'll wait and see! I'll make you regret this!" The deep-seated malice was bone-chilling. It was easy to imagine the vengeance he would wreak if he managed to possess a new body and revive. The peaceful continent, Jiang Fan's Azure Cloud Sect, the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets, the demon race, and even innocent people connected to him, would all be brutalized.

Jiang Fan's expression was indifferent. "Few souls can escape my grasp," he stated. "And you are not among them!" His prepared Soul-Suppressing Prayer Beads were immediately thrown out, enveloping the Sky Fiend Emperor. "What is this?" the emperor shrieked. "Let me go! No! Ah, no!" In his violent struggles, the Soul-Suppressing Prayer Beads twisted his soul body into a knot. Jiang Fan raised his hand and snatched the Soul-Suppressing Prayer Beads, along with the Sky Fiend Emperor's soul, back.

Then, he glanced at the monks of White Horse Temple. As expected, several high monks, including Dharma Seal Vajra, showed thoughtful expressions upon seeing the Soul-Suppressing Prayer Beads. Dharma Seal Vajra, with a hint of doubt, asked, "Benefactor Jiang, may I examine these prayer beads?"

Jiang Fan wasn't surprised by their reactions. Both Venerable Qinghe and Yan Daoan's residual souls had been shocked by the Soul-Suppressing Prayer Beads before their deaths, and both had revealed its origins: the Soul-Suppressing Prayer Beads lost by White Horse Temple for a thousand years!

"We can discuss this later," Jiang Fan said, not entirely refusing. He then looked at the Sky Fiend Emperor's soul in his hand, his eyes glinting coldly. "A long time ago, I needed a Nascent Soul. I encountered several since, but was fated not to obtain them. I regretted it then. But now I know that there was a destined soul waiting for me. And that soul is you, Sky Fiend Emperor!"

He turned his back to the crowd and took out the Fate-Changing Jade Butterfly. Of its three soul-holding slots, two glowed red, while one remained dim.

"Jiang Fan, what are you doing?" The Sky Fiend Emperor shrieked in alarm and fury, realizing his impending doom. Jiang Fan pressed the Sky Fiend Emperor's soul into the last remaining slot. "Your soul will pave the way for my Nascent Soul realm!" he said coldly. He pressed hard, and the slot immediately began absorbing the emperor's soul.

The Sky Fiend Emperor let out a thunderous roar. "No! You slept with my woman, destroyed my imperial ambitions, and now you want to step on my soul to ascend to the Nascent Soul realm? No!" In that moment, the Sky Fiend Emperor would have rather self-destructed than benefit Jiang Fan. However, he had no chance. With a whoosh, amidst his fading roars, his entire soul was sucked into the Fate-Changing Jade Butterfly.

The previously dim slot immediately emitted a dazzling crimson light. With all three souls now in place, Jiang Fan's path to the Nascent Soul realm finally manifested. Slaying the Sky Fiend Emperor to achieve the Nascent Soul realm marked the end of the old and the beginning of the new.

However, there was a more crucial matter to address: how to deal with White Horse Temple. While he might not fear them himself, he had to consider Concubine Yunxia, who had accompanied him, and the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets, which was about to relocate to Taicang Great State.

"Dharma Seal Vajra, Abbot, monks do not lie. I have a question for you, and I hope you will answer truthfully," Jiang Fan said, pointing to the Sky-Connecting Black Pillar. "If I take the Sky-Connecting Black Pillar, will you let me go?" A silence fell over White Horse Temple. The Demon-Subduing Protector stared at him coldly, the implication being, 'You still think you can leave?' Clearly, they would not let Jiang Fan go. Absolutely not! This did not surprise Jiang Fan.

He had forced White Horse Temple to publicly expel a monk who had joined their ranks, allowing him to take revenge openly. For White Horse Temple, accustomed to its dominance, how could such an affront be tolerated? Once Jiang Fan took the Sky-Connecting Black Pillar to a place where it no longer threatened White Horse Temple, that would be their moment to act. If he didn't handle today's situation well, he wouldn't return to the continent alive. Furthermore, it would plant a hidden danger for the development of the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets in Taicang Great State. Fortunately, he wasn't unprepared. Coming here to pursue the Sky Fiend Emperor was, frankly, irrational, but he had considered a fallback plan.

"Since that's the case, let's make a deal," Jiang Fan said. "No, wait, your Buddhist sect doesn't do business. Let's call it forming a karmic connection." He shook the Soul-Suppressing Prayer Beads in his hand. "You weren't mistaken," he announced. "These are the Soul-Suppressing Prayer Beads lost by your White Horse Temple a thousand years ago."

"What?" Golden light shimmered in Dharma Seal Vajra's eyes. All the high monks present were visibly shaken. Even Abbot Puguang descended and approached Jiang Fan, hands clasped in salute. "Benefactor Jiang," he asked, "where did you obtain these prayer beads?"

A powerful force like White Horse Temple naturally wouldn't be fixated on mere spirit-tool level prayer beads. What they truly desired was the person who possessed these beads—more accurately, the Bodhi Tree that person had taken. This, precisely, was the fallback plan Jiang Fan had prepared for himself, for Concubine Yunxia, and for the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets.

"So, we have something to talk about?" Jiang Fan said calmly, putting away the Soul-Suppressing Prayer Beads. Abbot Puguang pondered briefly. "If the owner of these prayer beads can be found, then Benefactor Jiang will be a great benefactor of our White Horse Temple," he stated. The implication was clear: bygones would be bygones, and today's events would be treated as if they had never happened.

Jiang Fan chuckled softly. "I've met the owner of the prayer beads," he began. "He passed away beneath a Bodhi Tree..." Abbot Puguang's expression flickered, and he quickly interjected, "Benefactor Jiang, don't say it!" But it was too late. Venerable Qiyin's expression changed. "A Bodhi Tree?" he exclaimed. "That's crucial for a First-Rank Vajra to achieve the Bodhisattva path! The current Bodhisattva of White Horse Temple found a Bodhi Tree in Tianzhou, meditated beneath it, and only then attained the Bodhisattva Fruit. If White Horse Temple finds another one, won't they produce another Bodhisattva within ten years? With two Bodhisattvas in one sect, Taicang Great State will henceforth be completely under White Horse Temple's control. Where will we find refuge?" He was visibly anxious. Wei Wuji and the others also sensed great trouble, their expressions turning panicked.